Charades
by EspoirDio
Summary: Written for oldpaul. Set after Dummy Twins when Niles and C.C. unexpectedly meet again and have to pretend to be a couple.
1. Prologue

**A/N: Hi guys. Here's the prologue again of a story I posted in the advent calendar. It's written for oldpaul who wanted a story where Niles and C.C. have to pretend to be together. I'll be updating gradually as I write the next few chapters. In the meantime, read and review please! :) **

Charades

Prologue:

"And people actually like this?" C.C. Babcock asked sceptically while her friend gently shepherded her through the masses of people.

"This is the Hyde Park Winter Wonderland, how can you not?" she chuckled in response and tugged her closer by her elbow.

C.C. swallowed down the snarky comments that were already forming on her tongue and instead had another look around. The bare trees had been decorated with a multitude of lights that made the place look pretty enough, that much C.C. could follow. But the rest of it was bordering on insanity. Stalls had been squeezed into every available corner, forcing the visitors into a close line of elbow bumping and foot stamping that nobody in their right mind could consider enjoyable. But what was the greatest turn-off for C.C. was the fair-like atmosphere. A giant Ferris-wheel had been assembled at the back of the market, looming dangerously above it all; vendors were praising their products noisily from every angle and Christmas music was blaring over it. If C.C. hadn't been there with a friend she would've already left the place a while ago. But Cathy seemed to love it if the smile on her face was any indication and C.C. found that friends were hard to come by these days so it was in her best interest to keep this one happy.

"How about something to eat?"

"No, I'm alright." C.C. shrugged it off but Cathy would have none of it.

"You complained earlier how hungry you were. Now let's get you something, perhaps that'll get you more into the mood."

"Into the mood to throw up…" C.C. muttered under her breath "is this even safe? I mean, do they have a food license?"

"Oh for God's sake, don't be such a snob. Just trust me on this, you'll like it."

And allowing not one more word of protest Cathy dragged her towards the centre of the market where they had previously passed the food stands, bars and taverns. Truth be told, C.C. wouldn't have argued anymore either. Her friend's attitude and behaviour was sometimes so reminiscent of Sara's that she found it difficult to deal with or say no to.

"So what do you fancy? Some German food at the Bavarian Village? Some farmhouse food at the Fire Pit? Some more traditional food? Or…I know! The House of St Nicholas! They have a moose head mounted on the wall that'll sing Christmas songs!"

"Oh fantastic! That's just the kind of experience I was afraid I'd miss out on!" C.C. remarked with her own brand of dry enthusiasm.

"Oh just shut up or I will drag you to the moose. His name is Ernie, by the way."

"Good to know," C.C. grinned and craned her neck to identify the least horrible location "how about the Star Tavern? Hog Roast doesn't sound too bad."

"That's the spirit," Cathy smiled and led her in the direction of the little half-timbered houses but before they could reach them, she let out a brief squeal of delight, let go of C.C.'s arm and steered away through the crowd.

"Hey," C.C. frowned and followed suit.

Apparently her friend had spotted someone she knew but when C.C. noticed just who it was she stopped dead in her tracks and was swallowed up by the crowd a second later. Fortunately, this gave her a moment to make sure it was really him she was seeing and to pull herself together. Because there was no doubt, deep in conversation with her friend and smiling happily was none other than Niles Brightmore, the Sheffield's butler. Several years had passed since their last conversation on the stairs of the Sheffield's mansion and they had both aged and changed since then. As a matter of fact, C.C. could only imagine what Niles would've said to her new hairstyle and colour had things been normal between them. But everything was far from that. She could remember his hurtful words very well, his threatening warning that she'd end up old and alone seeking solace in alcohol because she wasn't ready to commit to his ridiculous proposals. Likewise, she assumed, Niles would still be just as sore about her rejections. Nonetheless, she couldn't possibly stay hidden forever and finally took a step out of the crowd. His shock was priceless and his facial expressions almost an exact replica of hers just a moment before.

"Oh there you are," Cathy smiled "I thought I'd lost you."

"Well, you shouldn't have run off then, should you?" C.C. commented, keeping her eyes firmly on her friend.

"Yes yes, no need to snap. I just suddenly spotted Niles," she turned a bit to gesture to him "Tom used to work at his restaurant before we moved to London."

"You have your own restaurant now?" C.C. asked, arching an eyebrow but Niles only nodded. "Congratulations." Her voice was devoid of emotion even though a part of her was proud of him for finally taking such a big step.

"So you 2 know each other?" Cathy interrupted surprised, although C.C. was certain that she was able to surmise from their brief but chilly exchange that they weren't on particularly good terms.

"Yes," they both said and left it at that.

An awkward silence fell over the little group and C.C. could practically hear the gears in Cathy's mind turning, wondering if she should dare to ask how they knew each other. But luckily it didn't come to that.

"Ah Niles, finally I've found you!" an old woman announced who robustly pushed her way through the crowd.

She was short but round and although her face was lined with wrinkles her eyes were fierce and alive and she seemed much lighter on her feet than expected for a woman of her age.

"It was you who suddenly disappeared, Maman." Niles replied, chuckling amused.

"Well, one of the vendors had calissons and I remembered how much your father liked them so I had to buy a bag. Perhaps we can drop it off at the hospital tomorrow." She stopped abruptly and looked from C.C. to Cathy "I'm sorry, how terribly rude of me, I haven't even introduced myself. Marie Brightmore."

"Cathy Sinclair," C.C.'s friend smiled and offered her hand "a pleasure to finally meet you. My husband used to work for your son a while ago and we're still talking about some of your amazing recipes."

"Are you now?" Marie asked, shooting a look at Niles who seemed to squirm on the spot "Would that be those recipes you never asked my permission for to use them?"

"I thought we had settled this, Maman…" Niles began but Marie lifted up her hand.

"And this must be her then?" she continued, her eyes resting solely on C.C. now.

Suddenly Niles' previous reaction didn't seem so ridiculous anymore; there was definitely something about his mother that made her want to stand up straighter.

Niles' jaw twitched and his Adam's apple bobbed as he swallowed. "Yes, that's her."

C.C. frowned but wasn't given the chance to ask if he had really blabbed to his mother about the events in New York.

"Oh my darling, it's such a pleasure to finally meet you!" Marie exclaimed happily and enveloped her in a warm embrace "You really work too much but now that you're here you must come and meet me and my husband."

C.C. opened her mouth to ask what kind of game was being played but the stony, almost angry expression in Niles' eyes made her stop.

"Uh yes," she cleared her throat "why don't we go and get you two some hot cocoa, mmh? It's freezing."

"That'd be lovely," Marie smiled and then tugged her closer "and tell them to add a little bit of Bailey's."

"Sure," C.C. nodded numbly and then manoeuvred her way through the crowd again and towards one of the stalls, Niles right behind her."What the hell is going on?" she hissed, after she had ordered the drinks.

"God's idea of a sick joke, apparently," Niles muttered but eventually started to explain more when C.C.'s annoyed stare became too much "My father hasn't been doing so well lately. He isn't nearly as mobile anymore as he used to be and after…well," he paused and cleared his throat "after I returned to England he grew more and more concerned about my love life. My parents are both very family oriented and he just didn't want me to end up alone…"

"How ironic," C.C. muttered bitterly "and how touching. But how do I fit in the picture?"

Niles' heart clenched painfully; there had been a time when he had known and imagined several ways in which she could fit into his life.

"I told my dad a while ago that I was seeing someone and that we were getting serious…I just wanted him to stop worrying."

"And they never wondered why you didn't bring anyone home to introduce them?" C.C. probed, disbelieving.

"I came up with excuses," he shrugged "I told them she was a successful business woman, travelling the globe a lot. I told them she wasn't comfortable around families or meetings with the in-laws."

He had basically been describing her, Niles realised quietly.

"And they bought that? My God they're naïve!"

"Hey," Niles warned her sharply "you can say all you want about me but do not insult my parents. Of course I know that this couldn't go on forever," he hastily continued before the conversation could escalate further "so I told my mother that she was in town and that we'd meet her at the Christmas market. I was hoping to get away with another excuse…that we didn't find each other in the crowd or…I don't know…something that would at least make them believe that there would've been a supposed meeting. But then Cathy saw me and you appeared and then my mother asked and well…here we are…"

He stopped and ran a hand through his hair that was moist from the melted snowflakes.

"If you're expecting me to pretend to be your girlfriend you've got another thing coming." C.C. remarked and picked up two cups of hot chocolate but suddenly Niles' hand closed firmly around her wrist.

"You owe me, Babcock," he growled lowly and quietly and with such hostility that it made her freeze.

She'd seen him angry before and had never much enjoyed it (his annoyance or grumpiness had always been much more entertaining) but now he was deadly serious and she knew that he wouldn't take no for an answer. Normally that wouldn't have bothered her in the least and in that moment it really shouldn't have done either considering the things he had said to her in the past. But there was a part, albeit miniscule, that felt guilty for the way she had handled things in New York. And there was a part that didn't want to let the old lady and her sick husband down.

"Fine," she agreed quietly "I'll act out this farce with you but only this weekend. One trip to your father's hospital and that is it."

"Fair enough," Niles replied coolly and released her hand once more "now let's return before Maman gets some crazy ideas as to what we've been up to."


	2. Chapter 1

**A/N: Hi guys! I'm so glad quite a bunch of you seem to like this story. So here's the next chapter for you. I hope you'll still find it entertaining and leave me a review. :) **

Chapter 1:

"Okay, so what exactly happened back there?" Cathy asked the minute they set foot back into her house.

"Nothing," C.C. tried shrugging it off "we just bumped into a mutual…" She let the sentence dangle in the air unfinished, uncertain of how best to label Niles.

"Friend? Please, C.C., you two looked ready to lunge at each other."

"No, there were too many witnesses around." She muttered dryly, grinning for the first time since the incident.

"Still, I'm not letting you off the hook so easily. I've met Niles a couple of times and he was always pleasant and funny. What on earth did you do to piss him off so much?"

C.C. swallowed and stayed silent for a moment. Although she had left the Sheffields years ago it felt painfully familiar to be the fall guy again, to have people assume that it was her who'd been in the wrong. At least she knew that it was futile trying to justify her actions.

"It's a long story, Cathy," she said tiredly and sank down on the sofa.

"Well, Tom isn't back for a while and-"

"No," her voice was firmer now "I'm not prepared to share it. Why don't you ask Niles? I'm sure he'll be happy to tell you his sob story."

"Damn you're bitter," Cathy commented with a shake of the head and then walked over to the cabinet to fill two glasses with Whiskey "sounds as if you two were involved."

"Oh it was nothing like that," C.C. sighed and leaned back while rubbing her temples.

"Yet you're still willing to pretend to be his date?" Cathy questioned and then joined her on the couch.

"It's only for the weekend and…it's not about him…it's about his parents." She wasn't entirely telling the truth but it was easier for her to focus on this reason rather than the other.

* * *

><p>Across town, Niles and his mother had made it back to their hotel as well.<p>

"It's a shame we only got to talk to her for a second," Marie sighed and Niles cringed inwardly.

"Yes but you know how it is when you bump into an old friend. Suddenly there's so much catching up to do and well…me she can have every day."

"Not if she keeps working and travelling so much," Marie pointed out with a gentle smile that only made him feel guiltier.

Clearly she was under the impression that he was disappointed by C.C.'s quick departure and only putting on a brave face for her benefit.

"True, but still I understand her." He replied.

"Then I've brought you up well," she nodded "and I'm sure she'll join you here later, won't she?"

Niles swallowed. He hadn't planned this far but of course it would only be natural for them to spend the night together. "Yes, of course." He hurriedly confirmed "She knows where we are."

"Good," Marie smiled apparently satisfied "I'll leave you to it then."

"Goodnight, Maman." Niles said and leaned in to peck her cheek.

"Goodnight, sweetheart." She returned the gesture and then opened her room and left him behind in the corridor.

Still feeling guilt-ridden Niles hung his head in shame and trudged down the hall and to his own room. Lying to them suddenly seemed so despicable when all he had really wanted was to put their minds at ease. But he didn't have the time to properly dwell on this now. Instead he toed of his shoes, sat down on his bed and picked up the phone, dialling the number Cathy had given him at the Christmas market. It took a couple of minutes before somebody answered.

"Hi, it's Niles."

"So quickly?" Cathy replied, chuckling amused "Missing your girlfriend?"

"Oh shut up," he grumbled "can you just put her on?"

"Sure," she said and a moment later C.C. spoke.

"What now?"

"My mother pointed out that you as my girlfriend would probably be spending the night here."

"You know some couples don't share a bed until they're married," C.C. intersected, rolling her eyes at the other end of the line.

"While I can see why that would've been your previous experience as no man would want to catch your fleas or God knows what else, I don't have time for this. We're staying at St Giles Classic Hotel, Bedford Avenue, my room number is 305. I'll see you here in an hour."

"You can't just-" C.C. started but closed her mouth again when the beeping sound told her that the call had been disconnected. "He hung up on me!" she announced incredulously to Cathy who still seemed mildly amused.

"So what did he say?"

"He's expecting me to just drop everything and join him at his hotel room in an hour."

"You know some people would find that prospect exciting," Cathy grinned broadly from ear to ear.

"Yes well, some people aren't me and Niles. Who does he think he is?"

"You did agree to play along so technically…" Cathy hesitantly started.

"Will you stop enjoying this?" C.C. snapped and refilled her glass with Whiskey which she quickly downed before getting to her feet.

"I'm trying," Cathy answered with the hint of a compassionate smile "but it is rather difficult."

"I can see why you'd be friends with Niles," C.C. muttered and headed upstairs to fill the small suitcase she'd used as her cabin bag with some toiletries, clothes and other things she might be needing for an overnight stay at a hotel.

When she had packed everything she quickly popped back into the living room. "He said they're staying at a hotel on Bedford Avenue. How do I get there?"

"The tube," her friend smiled as if it was the most natural thing in the world.

"You expect me to cram myself into an overcrowded train to then spend a miserable night with a man I loathe?"

"Pretty much," Cathy shrugged and fished a little underground map out of her purse "I'm sorry but I'm not going to drive into the city centre again…I did it once for you today, the tube won't kill you. Oh and look," she pointed at the map she had unfolded by now "it's easily accessible, four stations in the vicinity. I'd head to Tottenham Court Road though if I were you."

"Thank you very much," C.C. muttered in annoyance and stomped back into the hall where she grabbed her coat and her scarf and slipped into her boots "I hope your evening will be as horrible as mine."

But Cathy didn't comment on it nor offer any words of encouragement. She'd known C.C. long enough by now to let her rant and blow off steam until she calmed down to a more civilised level again.

Her suitcase in hand C.C. angrily slammed the front door shut behind her and trudged into the direction of the underground. But just a few steps later when the tube sign was in sight, she pulled her cell phone out of her pocket and dialled the number she'd seen sprawled across several vehicles that day.

"Yes hello," she said sweetly when someone picked up on the other end of the line "I'd like a taxi from Parsons Green underground station to St Giles Classic Hotel, Bedford Avenue please."

* * *

><p>She arrived more than half an hour later than the time Niles had proposed to her because traffic in the city had been so bad. But feeling no sense of remorse and if anything being rather pleased with her decision not to take the tube, C.C. knocked on his door. When he opened, he seemed rather anxious with slightly dishevelled hair that looked as if he'd been running his hand through it a lot.<p>

"Where have you been? I was just about to call Cathy again."

"Dear God, Niles, pull yourself together," she commented, rolling her eyes "you're acting as if your mother is checking up on you every five minutes to make sure you aren't alone."

"Well no but…in case she does you need to be in this room with me." He mumbled sheepishly and waved her in.

C.C. stepped inside, inspecting the place while humming to herself. "At least it looks better in here than on the outside," she finally declared and sat down on the bed to pull her boots off.

Niles remained near the door, obviously not sure how to behave around her which, truthfully, suited her fine because she was more comfortable with him keeping his distance. Pretending to be his girlfriend at the Christmas market had already cost her enough energy. But eventually the silence became too awkward even for her standards and so she stood up again and started to put some of her things into the wardrobe next to his, not that she had packed very much. She then moved into the bathroom to distribute her toiletries as well and afterwards returned to the main room to scoot her suitcase under the bed.

"Why didn't you unpack everything?" Niles asked curiously and frowned.

"Because there are some things I don't need you to see," C.C. replied coolly while lying down on the bed.

"Like what?" his frown deepened.

"Like my delicates," she pressed out, surprised that he hadn't gotten it straight away "Lord knows what you'd do with them."

"What _would _I do with them, Babcock?" he challenged with a scoff "Sniff them? Fondle them? I'm not some pervert, you know."

"Well, I don't know what kind of weird things you might be into."

"That's rich coming from a woman who once tried to seduce me with a sock puppet." Niles commented dryly and strode over to the window.

"I don't know…you might've liked it…" C.C. muttered to herself.

"Because I'm into weird things?" Niles challenged again.

"Yes! For God's sake you're the guy who finds it funny to propose to me four times!"

"Funny?!" Niles exclaimed, his voice somewhere between a loud bellow and a pained yelp "Is that what you think it was?! Funny?!"

C.C. glanced at him afraid of what she was about to see but a rapid knock on the door tore her attention away again. Niles sighed, looking suddenly a lot older as he strode across the room to open it.

"Oh Maman!" he sounded surprised even though C.C. knew that he had been expecting her.

"I hope I'm not interrupting anything," his mother said with a playful glint in her eyes that grew bigger when her eyes fell onto C.C. who was still residing on the bed.

Eager not to give her any ideas, C.C. quickly got to her feet and joined Niles by the door who in a gesture that seemed to cost him a great deal of effort, wrapped his arm around her waist. "You weren't," he then hurriedly denied "is something the matter?"

C.C. remained rigidly where she was, their bodies touching lightly at their sides. It had been a while since a man other than her brother had been this close to her and a part of her was struggling against the possessive nature of the embrace while the other part enjoyed the painful familiarity. She vaguely noticed that she hadn't been paying attention to the ongoing conversation at all and that merely the words "hospital" and "father" had registered.

"I'm sorry, my mind was elsewhere," she interrupted suddenly "did you say something about going to the hospital?"

"Yes, tomorrow morning, dear," Marie explained with a smile "my husband will be so pleased to finally meet you."

She opened her mouth to point out that she'd already made plans for the next day but Niles grip strengthened around her and so she closed it again.

"9 o'clock will be fine, Maman."

In the silence that followed C.C.'s stomach rumbled so loudly that both Niles and his mother turned to look at her. She started to apologise but Marie quickly cut her off. "Niles, where are your manners? Haven't you been hospitable to your girlfriend's needs?"

"She…she didn't mention she was hungry, Maman!" Niles explained half-stammering like a child who knew he'd done wrong and was about to me punished. And truth be told, C.C. had a really hard time not breaking into gleeful laughter. Perhaps this pretence deal wouldn't be so bad after all.

"Well, now you know," Marie repeated firmly "so I'll leave you two kids to it. Order some room service and have a nice evening."

And with a meaningful wink she wandered down the corridor and out of sight. Niles groaned and closed the door firmly behind her.

"You did that on purpose," he muttered.

"Oh yes, I've trained my belly to rumble on cue," C.C. rolled her eyes, freed herself of his embrace and walked back to the bed "Though your mother was right, you aren't taking good care of me, snookums. Let's order some room service."

"I don't really feel like splurging lots of money for mediocre food, Babcock."

"In that case I'm sure you wouldn't mind popping out and fetching me something you consider to be more suitable." C.C. remarked with a lazy smile while stretching out.

"Keep dreaming," he scoffed.

"Maybe I will…or maybe I should just tell your mother that you are still neglecting me."

"Oh fine…have your bloody room service," he grumbled and reached for the menu which he angrily flung her way.

Triumphantly C.C. picked it up and started to settle in for a night that could be more enjoyable than she had initially thought.


	3. Chapter 2

**A/N: Thanks again for your amazing reviews. I'm so surprised this is getting such positive feedback. Again, I hope this chapter won't disappoint. Unfortunately, this is the last chapter that I had pre-written before I started posting this story...I was hoping to have finished more by now but then I got this cold from hell and so I haven't got much writing done. I'm still hoping to be able to give you regular updates but if it takes a little longer, please bear with me. :) **

Chapter 2: 

Niles and C.C. passed their first evening together mostly in silence. They were both all too aware of how easily the situation could've escalated, had Niles' mum not decided to show up and interrupted them. And there was also the fact that neither of them had ever been particularly good at small talk. While Niles had very often gossiped in the kitchen with his employer's nanny, and while C.C. had occasionally exchanged snippets of information with Maxwell, the same kind of ease didn't exist between them. Information was dismissed as either too trivial or too juicy to share. And so while they would've had a lot to talk about right now considering the amount of time that had passed since their last encounter, they both stayed silent.

But the lack of conversation did not prohibit them from observing each other's actions and habits, of course. And just as with every other ordinary couple, there were a lot of things to discover and adjust to. C.C., for example, hadn't known thus far that Niles gargled with mouthwash every night before going to bed and the sounds were almost too much for her to bear. So she wrapped her arms around her knees while her body was shaken by silent laughter. Yet she resisted to ask him whom he so urgently needed fresh breath for at night.

Likewise Niles had difficulty not laughing when C.C. later on emerged from the bathroom, her face dotted with little round circles of cream. He, however, didn't shy away from commenting.

"You know, I am aware that they say less is more but in your case I'd say the anti-wrinkle cream will only work if you spread it all over your face."  
>C.C. glared him down but he was excited to see a little hint of embarrassment on her face that told him that he had correctly identified the sort of cream she'd been using.<p>

But when the lights went out and the silence returned to them, the air grew heavy with a sort of intimacy neither of them was prepared for. And as a result of it C.C. slept badly. It had been years since there'd been a body next to hers in bed and she was all too aware of the implications and issues that would arise the next morning should she inadvertently end up snuggled into his arms. So her light sleep was constantly broken by periods of checking her position and scooting closer to the edge of the bed if need be.

Niles, who had at first battled with similar issues, considering he found himself in the weaker position (his feelings for her out in the open since the last time they'd seen each other and thus vulnerable to any kind of remark should he only happen to inch closer to her), had eventually relaxed enough to sleep but was now woken up repeatedly by her constant shifting.

"Oh for God's sake, Babcock," he grumbled sometime in the morning "would you feel more comfortable with a cushion between us?"

Unwilling to explain herself to him, C.C. merely scoffed and turned her back towards him once more. She then continued to snooze in that position until a noisy beeping sound startled her awake once more.

"What the hell?" she groused, pushing herself up on her elbows and into a semi-sitting position.

"It's an alarm clock, Babcock," Niles muttered back in a similarly groggy voice "I'm sure you've come across one before."

"Yes, of course I have," she snapped impatiently "but I'm on vacation. Why would you set an alarm?"

"Because we're going to visit my father in hospital, remember?" he asked, climbing out of bed "And I thought you might need a lot of time to make that hideous face of yours look in any way presentable."

C.C. threw a few choice words at him under her breath, slipped out of bed as well and then made her way across the room and to the bathroom.

"Hey, I was going to use that shower!" he called after her but she only shrugged.

"Perhaps you shouldn't have wasted so much time insulting me then."

And she closed the door behind her before his "It's never a waste" could reach her ears. So far the day was off to a horrible start and she definitely wasn't prepared for anything further before she hadn't had at least one cup of coffee. But knowing Niles and his awareness of this predicament, he would probably make sure that coffee stayed as far out of her reach as her sanity seemed to be at that moment.

* * *

><p>Taking far more time than she actually needed just to irk him, C.C. eventually emerged from the bathroom again, only wrapped in one of the hotel's white towels. She was too focused on retrieving her clothes from the closet to notice that Niles who had at first opened his mouth to comment on the time had hurriedly closed it again. Of course he was scolding himself for acting like such a pathetic teenager but it had been years since he'd been with a woman and certainly twice as many since he'd last seen so much of C.C.'s skin revealed to him. As much as he had teased her about it in the past, the Babcock women did appear to age gracefully. He let his glance sweep a last time from her neck to down to her shoulder blades, before grumbling something under his breath as to not appear out of character and then headed for the bathroom himself.<p>

C.C. grabbed her clothes and laid them out on the bed but waited until she heard the water running before she started to change. The last thing she needed was for Niles to catch her naked. She had not been dressed and ready for five minutes when there was a knock on the door. Glancing wistfully now towards the bathroom she stood up and strode across the room to open it.

"Good morning, my dear." Marie Brightmore beamed at her.

Evidently she was one of those people who were consistently in a good mood, no matter the time of day; a quality she certainly hadn't passed on to her son. And for that C.C. sent a silent prayer to the heavens. If there was one thing that could've possibly made Niles even more annoying, it would've been an energetic streak in the morning. Luckily he'd always been as miserable and grumpy as her.

"Where's Niles?" his mother further inquired, sticking her head into the room and glancing around.

"Still in the shower," C.C. explained who was beginning to feel increasingly nervous.

She'd always made sure to avoid any contact with the parents of any of her boyfriends or lovers and now the added layer of deceit was making things even harder for her.

"Still?" Marie exclaimed "Doesn't he know what time it is?"

"Well, he's always been a bit slow," C.C. muttered under her breath, unable to stop the comment or the grin from surfacing on her face.

Marie only eyed her curiously with an unidentifiable look on her face that was neither approving nor condemning. But it was definitely enough to make C.C. nervously shift her weight from one foot to the other.

"I'm sure he'll be out any minute," she added when the silence continued to stretch on between them.

"He better be," Marie agreed firmly "otherwise I'll go in there and personally drag him out. Making his father wait like that…" And she shook her head and clicked her tongue disapprovingly.

"And we haven't even had breakfast yet," C.C. tossed out, this time with an amused grin, hoping to get him into further trouble.

But she wasn't going to be so lucky. Instead of breaking into another tirade as to her son's manners, a slow smile appeared on Marie's face as she nudged her playfully.

"I'm not surprised. When Henry and I were in our first few years we hardly ever left the bed." And she let out a laugh that made C.C. feel more than a little uncomfortable. "As a matter of fact there was this one night where we hardly slept a wink and still had to go to work the next morning," she paused to lean in "we didn't have time for breakfast either. Anyway, later on that day I heard Mr Sheffield senior calling for Henry over and over again, apparently without a result. Not wanting him to get into trouble I abandoned my chores and went out searching and where did I find him?" She paused again for dramatic effect and C.C. forced a quick, curious smile on her face. "Asleep under one of the trees in the garden. That old man could never handle a bit of exercise as well as I could."

Once her chuckles had died down her face took on a sadder, more wistful expression that made C.C.'s heart clench and made her feel uncomfortable for a completely different reason. She had never witnessed such open love between her own parents and generally liked to brush it off as sentimental bullshit. So for the first time since their sudden reunion she was glad to see Niles emerging from the bathroom. Whatever worries had consumed his mother a moment before were instantly wiped away.

"I told your father we'd be with him at 9.30 and you only finish showering now? You aren't even dressed yet!" she snapped.

Niles would've lifted his hands in defeat, had they not been securing the towel that was wrapped around his middle.

"It was her fault," he pointed out weakly "she deliberately took her time and so I-"

"Niles, ca suffit! Va t'habiller, maintenant, afin qu'on puisse partir. Ton père nous attend!" Marie interrupted him and C.C. was surprised by her sudden change in language.

She didn't understand what had been said but Marie's tone and stern demeanour told her that further explanations would certainly not be tolerated. Reaching the same conclusion Niles hurriedly rushed to the wardrobe, extracted various items of clothing and then locked himself back in the bathroom to get ready. C.C. didn't even attempt to hide her amusement and laughed openly while gleefully rubbing her hands together. That was until she found Marie's strict glance suddenly directed at her.

"Are you ready, my dear?" she asked softy and with a smile; a combination that seemed as threatening as if she'd spoken another word in French.

C.C.'s eyes briefly travelled down her body, checking the outfit she had chosen and wondering if Marie, much like her mother, had found some fault. But then she realised that she was probably expecting her to put her shoes and coat on already and so she quickly did so to appease the resolute woman before her. Where was her coffee when she needed it?

* * *

><p>About an hour later they finally entered room 416 of St Bartholomew's Hospital and while not small, it wasn't nearly as private as C.C. had imagined but of course, she surmised, the Brightmores wouldn't be able to afford a better room. Nervously she trailed behind Marie and Niles who determinedly made a beeline for the very last bed in the room where they pulled away the privacy curtain.<p>

Henry Brightmore, it seemed, had passed a lot of his looks on to his son. The same blue eyes, the same impish grin. Only his built, C.C. noticed, Niles seemed to have gotten from his mother.

"Another guest?" he was saying now, eyeing C.C. once from head to toe before his glance shifted back to his wife whom he asked in slightly lower tones "I thought you didn't like my idea of hiring a private nurse?"

There was something distinctly naughty in the way he said it and not before long C.C.'s suspicions were confirmed when his wife unceremoniously gave him a whack on the head with one of the magazines that'd been lying on his nightstand.

"I'm still against it, you desperate old man." She hissed but Henry only laughed; apparently he was already used to his wife's outbursts and enjoyed teasing her.

"I'm sorry, my dear," he said "I hope I didn't put you off. You must be Niles' fiancée."

C.C. swallowed as her heart seemed to stop for a second. She somehow resisted the urge to snap her head in Niles' direction and instead managed to smile back at the old man in the bed. "Yes, I am, it's nice to meet you. I hope you aren't feeling all too bad?"

Henry Brightmore returned the smile and shook his head. "Not at all. The doctors said the operation went very well and with a bit of physiotherapy my hip will be back to normal in no time."

"He's exaggerating," Marie added but C.C. didn't hear her anymore.

This time she _had_ turned to face Niles.

"Could I have a word with you?" she asked in a crisp tone and with a smile that was visibly forced.

"But darling we just got here…can't it wait?" Niles asked who - to his credit- looked at least a little bit nervous.

"No, it cannot," she replied determinedly and briefly turned around to look at the Brightmores "we'll be right back."

And with that she marched herself out into the corridor, Niles following sheepishly on her heels.

"Don't they remind you of us?" Marie remarked after a moment "Although I have to admit, she's a lot more resolute than I had pictured her from what Niles had told us."

"That's because she's not the woman he had told us about...at least not entirely" Henry explained, a playful twinkle in his eyes "that's C.C. Babcock, Maxwell's business partner…I recognise her from Niles' photos."

"But why would they pretend to be a couple?" Marie frowned.

"I don't know but let's not tell them we're onto them. It'll be much more entertaining to watch."


	4. Chapter 3

**A/N: Thanks once again for all your lovely comments. Here's the new chapter and I'll be trying to get the next one out to you asap. In the meantime I'll be happy to hear your thoughts :)**

Chapter 3:

Outside in the corridor Niles and C.C. were, of course, completely oblivious to the recent developments. They stood just far enough away from the door to ensure that Niles' parents wouldn't be able to hear the argument that was sure to break out any moment, yet still awkwardly placed next to a meal cart that a nurse kept returning to every five minutes.

Niles remained silent, waiting for C.C. to snap or yell at him but she only glared, hands on her hips, her chest puffed out in a ridiculous imitation of a cockerel that was displaying its dominance.

"Oh for God's sake, Babcock. Will you just get it over with?" he eventually muttered, running out of patience.

"Will _I_ get it over with? I thought there might be something that _you_ would like to say to me."

"Oh there are a number of things I'd like to say to you," he replied, matching her tone in venom "but at least I have the common decency not to do so in my father's hospital!"

"Do you really want to act all holier than that?" she challenged, her voice growing louder.

Niles opened his mouth but closed it again when the nurse returned to the cart once more to fish out another tray while shooting them a disapproving look. When she had walked out of sight, he continued quieter: "Explain to me what you're so angry about."

"You made it sound as if your father was dying!" she said, failing to match his tone in volume "You made me feel heartless if I tried to turn you down."

"Come come now, Babcock, don't sell yourself short. You are naturally heartless." He growled bitterly.

C.C. felt his remark sting but only narrowed her eyes further at him.

"If we weren't in a hospital with instant aid available, it wouldn't be beneath me to slap some sense into you right this second." She replied.

"Why don't you give it a go? I'm sure I could handle it. You've done much worse things to me in the past."

The urge to get physically active and shut him up by any means possible was almost overwhelming now. But instead she forced herself to take a deep breath and said: "You can argue all you want. You purposefully made it sound as if your father was in a worse condition than he actually is."

"You will find that you're wrong there," he denied firmly "all I said was that he wasn't doing so well anymore and that his mobility wasn't as great as it used to be; all of which are facts."

Knowing that she had lost that battle even though she was also aware that she'd had a point somehow, C.C. swiftly moved on to the next issue. "And since when are we engaged? You only mentioned the word "girlfriend", not "fiancée"."

There was a subtle change in Niles' expression, not more than a twitch of impatience that suddenly made him look harder.

"And can you blame me?" he challenged "After the way you've treated me in New York and the way you're reacting now. I know you wouldn't possibly be caught dead being engaged to a servant, not even if it's nothing more than make-believe."

"I can't believe you're still hung up on this!" C.C. snapped, having lost all patience "I am sick and tired of you flinging this thing in my face, acting like a wounded dog all the time. If you're so hurt that your little prank backfired I do suggest you seek some kind of help-"

"Me? Seeking help? That's rich coming from a woman who is so utterly useless at understanding and empathizing with other people that she's never had a meaningful relationship in all her life."

C.C. clenched her hand at her side and then replied in lowly but icy tones: "At least I have realised my shortcomings and have started to work on them. We've been together for barely two days now and yet you've managed to sulk and bring up the past most of the time. You said some terrible things to me on the stairs of the Sheffield mansion but have you heard me mentioning them even once? Have you heard me demand any kind of compensation? I pity you, Niles, you are nothing but a lonely, pathetic, miserable old man."

When she saw that he had no comeback for her words and when his broken face was threatening to crumble within seconds the walls that had taken her years to build, she turned her back to him and started to retreat down the corridor the way they had first come. And Niles remained behind, rooted to the spot by the harsh words that had affected him more deeply than any of her actions in the past.

* * *

><p>"Do you think they've killed each other by now?" Henry asked, trying with great effort to pull himself into a sitting position.<p>

"Will you stop being so nosy?" his wife chastised him and firmly pushed him back against the cushions but before his pout could grow any bigger, she added "I haven't heard any bells ringing or any commotion in the corridor yet so I'd say they're still arguing."

That made Henry laugh at least. There was another moment of silence in which all they could hear was the muffled conversation that the other patients in the room were having with their visitors. Then Marie asked: "So she was Maxwell's business partner, you say?"

"Yes," he nodded "started a couple of years after Maxwell had moved to New York to marry Sara. I think she might've been present at the wedding and that's when the whole idea started."

"Good God, have you memorised their whole history?" Marie asked, chuckling to herself.

"Well," he shrugged with an audible pout in his tone "there was nothing else going on at the time."

"Oh I'm sure there was. You just found snooping to be more interesting."

"It's not snooping when people are willing to share information over the telephone." He argued with a grin.

"So your investigation uncovered that they were involved once?" Marie inquired who had difficulty hiding her own curiosity now.

"I am assuming as much but I don't have any proof. I just knew that every time he spoke to me and complained about Miss Babcock's behaviour, he was in truth expressing his love for her."

"Now that's a bit far-fetched, wouldn't you say?" Marie frowned.

"No," he smiled innocently "I acted the same way when I started courting you."

But instead of being bowled over by his somewhat odd proclamation of love, Marie reached for the magazine on his nightstand again and administered another whack on the head.

"Careful woman," he grumbled "I did just have an operation, you know?"

But it was good that their conversation had been so abruptly cut off there because a second later Niles appeared, looking still somewhat pale and worn out. Marie noticed this too and exchanged a quick look with Henry, whose forehead had creased into a frown. But when his son's attention turned towards him, he hurriedly made an effort to put on a smile again.

"So where's your lovely fiancée?" he asked and Niles shifted, visibly uncomfortable.

"She uh…she had to go." He replied hoarsely.

He was tempted to tell his parents the truth then and there but after hearing C.C.'s cutting words he couldn't bear being faced with their disappointment as well.

"Not more business?" Marie frowned, putting a hand on her hip.

"I'm afraid so," he muttered, happy for C.C. to take some of the blame at least.

"Nothing all too urgent, I hope?" Henry chimed in with the same happy look on his face "I will get released in a couple of days and it would be so nice if you two kids could help get me settled back at home, help around the house a bit. You know your mother isn't the youngest anymore."

He noticed his wife's eyes narrowing at the last remark and made sure to shift to the other side of the bed and out of her reach, should she decide to whack him again. But no such action was taken…yet.

"Dad," Niles sighed "I'm honestly not sure how long she'll be away this time and even if she is around, I don't think spending a couple of days with my parents would be her idea of fun."

"I understand," Henry replied solemnly and leaned back in his bed with an air of resignation around him "it just would've been nice to get to know her a little bit more before the wedding…to know that my son is in good hands when I'm not around to look after him anymore."

Niles wanted to roll his eyes at him and tell him to stop with the dramatic speeches but somehow that was much harder done while standing at his hospital bed. Instead he found himself saying: "I'll talk to her."

His parents seemed placated enough and picked up some lighter conversation topics, but soon Niles decided he needed to get out to clear his head.  
>When goodbyes and kisses had been exchanged, Marie took Henry's hand and eyed him thoughtfully.<p>

"Are you really this occupied with your imminent death, mon coeur?"

"Oh God no, woman," he laughed amused "but I know that the easiest way to manipulate our son is by using our age to our advantage. Something unpleasant happened out in that corridor and I have a feeling that something unpleasant already happened between them in New York, that's why Niles returned so suddenly. And before I kick the bucket I need to know what I've been missing out on."

* * *

><p>C.C. had stormed out of the hospital and down the street which had felt satisfying at first because the physical exercise allowed her to dispel some of her frustration and anger. But soon she got reminded that the heeled boots she was wearing, were really not made for any long distance and certainly not for speed walks. Slowing down she managed to avoid one of the few puddles that hadn't yet frozen over, tiptoed around it and finally noticed the Café on the other side of the road. Granted, it looked rather cheap and if she hadn't been so desperate for coffee and if she'd been wearing flats, she would've continued searching for a more suitable place but as it was, even she couldn't be picky about this.<p>

Making her way across and into the shop, she ordered a black coffee which was served to her promptly and so she paid the people, picked up her cup and withdrew into a corner of the Café where there was at least an illusion of privacy. It turned out to be a good decision because the coffee was hot and strong so not even a Babcock could find fault with it.

A buzzing that emanated from her purse suddenly distracted her and with a fresh feeling of annoyance she started wondering if Niles was trying to reach her to persuade her to return to the hospital. But then she remembered that he didn't have her number, he only had Cathy's and so she breathed a sigh of relief. Nonetheless, she was curious to see who was trying to reach her so urgently and fished her cell out of her purse only to find 13 messages from the friend in question.

"Probably dying to find out how things have been," C.C. thought to herself and rolled her eyes while her thumb flicked from one message to the next.

She wasn't prepared to answer yet, especially not when the general assumption was that Niles and her would've ended up or would end up in some kind of romantic entanglement. If anything, C.C. was glad to be rid of him again once and for all. And that was when she realised that she wasn't, or at least not yet because with a nauseating feeling in the pit of her stomach that bordered on dread she remembered that all of her things were still at the hotel room. As eager as she was to leave England, there were just some things she wasn't willing to leave behind.

So in the afternoon she found herself back at the hotel, having persuaded a cleaning lady to let her into Niles' room after all her knocks had gone unanswered. She had at first hoped that Niles was still at the hospital or otherwise spending time with his mother, but now that she was in the room she could hear the shower running. His presence would make her task far more rushed and she knew that she'd have to leave some of her toiletries behind, but they could be sacrificed if she could make an escape with everything else in her suitcase.

Wasting no time, she pulled said item out from under the bed and began haphazardly tossing things into it. When she had cleared her nightstand, she moved on to the closet, working in much the same manner until a dull clunk told her that something other than her clothes must've landed on the carpet. Turning around she picked it up and was surprised to find a picture frame. It was small and contained a photo of Niles, already older and greying and another woman unknown to C.C., their arms wrapped around each other, smiling happily into the camera. There was a familiarity and intimacy about the way they touched that made C.C.'s heart clench. Who was that woman? And why did she manage to make him smile like that?

Annoyed by her own curiosity and tangled feelings, C.C. made a move to hurriedly return the frame to the closet, when the glass cover slid aside and the photo slipped out - apparently the item had taken some damage in the fall. She sighed and bent down to pick the photo up when another one caught her attention;one that was now sitting innocently in place of the old; one that showed her and Niles. C.C. swallowed and remained unmoving, staring at the old photograph that had been taken years ago. Why did he still have it? And why had he placed a different photo over it?

A second before the bathroom door opened, she became aware that the noise of the shower had subsided. She didn't have enough time to put the frame back in order and so when Niles stepped out she had no chance of talking herself out of the situation. She was caught red-handed. His eyes first widened in surprise at seeing her there and then shifted to the item she was holding. There was a brief look of anger followed by an unmasking that left him as vulnerable as she'd never seen him before. All the questions she'd been dying to ask him disappeared.

"I'm so sorry…I didn't mean to." She said instead and for the first time, she wasn't just thinking about the events of that day.


	5. Chapter 4

**A/N: Sorry for the delay, guys. Some parts of this chapter were really slow going and Tuesdays/Wednesdays I generally only have limited time to squeeze in some writing. Anyways...here's the update...I hope you like it. R&R please! :) **

Chapter 4:

C.C. had expected him to say something in return. To question what she had just said or perhaps to even just brush her off. But she hadn't expected his silence that seemed to stretch on forever. Finally, he seemed to regain some control over his body, bridged the gap between them and gently took the frame out of her hands. He slipped both photos back into place, re-applied the glass as best as possible and then returned it all to its previous hiding spot in the closet. He didn't make eye contact but he didn't avoid it either. She would've preferred him to get angry instead of leaving her alone with the mess that were her whirling thoughts. But even if he'd noticed her distress, he wouldn't have rescued her now.

C.C. turned, mechanically and zipped up her suitcase. She ignored the few items that were still left in the closet that had been too precious for her to leave behind some moments ago; likewise she ignored her chance of retrieving her toiletries and instead made her way to the door. They didn't say goodbye. Instead C.C. suddenly found herself in the corridor of the hotel without fully realising how she had got there. Her head was filled with so many new insights on old matters, so many implications that only became clear to her now that she barely noticed where she was going. She also overlooked the old woman that was making her way towards her, a grocery bag dangling from the crook of her arm that bounced a few centimetres in the air with every step she took. She missed her good-natured smile that slowly turned into a frown as they passed each other.

"Business is calling?" Marie asked in a final attempt to catch the other woman's attention and finally C.C. stopped in her stride.

She blinked and cleared her throat, still pondering past events. "Yes," she sounded hoarse.

Marie nodded and eyed her curiously. A moment ago she had been keen to follow her husband's plan of somehow guilting them into continuing their charade but now she saw that something was definitely amiss, something much more serious.

"Is something the matter, my dear?" she asked gently and touched her wrist.

And out of the scrambled mess of thoughts, the first best thing spilled from C.C.'s mouth: "Who's that woman on the photo?"

But of course Marie had no idea who she was talking about, didn't even know which picture she was referring to.

"I'm sorry?" she asked, her brows knitting to a frown.

"There's a picture," C.C. repeated, in the same monotone voice "he has it with him…and there's that woman…red-head…petit…" _Gorgeous._

"Mmh…I can't say for certain but that description best fits Katherine. She did attend our garden party a couple of years ago so perhaps…"

But C.C. didn't hear the rest of the sentence. Her mind had drawn its own conclusions. Katherine was no stranger to her, even though she had never met her in person. She'd been Niles' love interest eventually after he'd overcome his shyness to pursue her. But she hadn't known that Katherine had also returned to England or that she and Niles had met again. And although she had no claim to him or no right to get upset, she did feel betrayed.

That was precisely the emotion Marie Brightmore could read in her eyes now and was surprised to find it there. Perhaps her husband hadn't been so far off when he had suggested that something had happened between the woman in front of her and her son. But perhaps they had both underestimated C.C.'s feelings and solely focused on Niles. Now though Marie was determined to pay more attention to the woman who so clearly felt some kind of love for her son. So she opened her mouth again, wanting to clarify that Katherine had only been invited as a friend; that nothing but a chaste peck on the cheek had been exchanged between the two but before she had the chance C.C. had already made an escape. Marie remained behind, cursing herself for having made an already tricky situation worse.

* * *

><p>If it had been entirely up to C.C., she probably would've found herself a hotel elsewhere, that's how much she loathed the prospect of having to spend another second surrounded by people. She needed time alone to think about everything that had transpired in the past hour but most importantly she needed an ice cold drink with a generous amount of alcohol in it. Unfortunately for her, most of her other belongings as well as her passport were still at Cathy's house and while she probably could've got away with a couple more days in the solitude of some hotel room, she also knew that the questions upon her return would only be worse. So begrudgingly she had to admit that it would be far easier in the long run to face the music now and endure her friend's curiosity.<p>

The cab ride passed far too quickly and soon C.C. found herself back in front of the familiar door. She granted herself a last blissful moment of peace and quiet and then lifted her hand to ring the doorbell. Cathy appeared in a flash as if she'd been standing guard all along, or perhaps she'd just been standing near the window, waiting for her arrival, that much C.C. wouldn't put past her. Ignorant to her annoyance, Cathy ushered her in and even slipped her coat off her shoulders. She was brimming with the kind of barely contained excitement C.C. had already loathed in the Sheffield's Nanny.

"I see you're still in one piece," she finally commented, grinning smugly while giving her a once-over.

"Yes and why wouldn't I be?" C.C. asked haughtily in return, raising an eyebrow.

"Well, I don't know," her friend trailed off innocently, grabbed her by the elbow and guided her into the living room "last time you angrily stomped out of here. Then you don't answer any of my messages and now-"

"A smarter person would've got the hint," C.C. muttered and sank down on the sofa, glancing longingly in the direction of the wine rack.

"Actually in this case I think you're insulting your own intelligence," Cathy corrected whose mood didn't seem diminished one bit "you should know by now that you can't shake me off so easily. So how was the weekend? You're back relatively early but I'm not that surprised."

"Of course not," C.C. commented with disinterest, her eyes swaying towards the drink once more.

"I'd offer you a glass if you'd offer the tiniest shred of information?" Cathy dangled in front of her with a satisfied smile, knowing that she now had something to bargain with.

"You are a cruel woman," C.C. sighed "but fine. Get moving and fill me a glass."

Cathy stood up and walked over to a cabinet to retrieve a glass but before she went ahead and uncorked a bottle of wine, she looked back expectantly at C.C. who hadn't meant to let the silence stretch on so long but who was still having trouble straightening her thoughts.

"It was difficult…uncomfortable…" she finally offered "we had to share a bed and we had nothing to talk about and then his mother came and shared stories about her and her husband when they were just together at the beginning of the relationship and…"

She stopped abruptly, reliving once more the feel of his arm around her waist, then the moment when she had first discovered the photo of him and Katherine and finally of him and her.

"Yes?" Cathy prompted hungrily, clearly aware that some vital bits of information were currently slipping through her fingers.

C.C. let her eyes fall closed for a second and then when they were open again reached for the glass and emptied it in one big gulp. "It just wasn't pleasant. He's still hung up on the past-"

"But I thought you said you didn't have a past together?" Cathy intersected, taking her seat again.

"Of course we had a past, just not in the way you think…at least that's what I…" she trailed off again, shook her head and then stood up.

"Where are you going?" Cathy frowned.

"To bed…I'm tired…"

"C.C., it's 7 pm?!" her friend exclaimed but she shrugged it off.

"I'll see you in the morning."

* * *

><p>Several days passed in which C.C. yearned for her return flight to the states and in which Marie – partly driven by her husband's curiosity and her own desire to fix things – continuously nagged Niles to organise another small meeting. She was laying on the guilt as much as she dared to while still being able to live with herself and eventually Niles caved even though he knew that any attempts of reaching out to C.C. were likely to be futile.<p>

He had spent a couple of minutes drinking and picking up the phone only to put it down again. Truth be told he felt a little nervous, afraid that C.C. might ask questions about the picture frame she had seen, afraid of appearing an even greater fool than before. But as the minutes ticked by his fears and worst case scenarios only grew and with a sudden burst of determination he grabbed the little card firmly and dialled Cathy's number again. But it wasn't her who answered, nor was it C.C.

"Tom Sinclair?"

The familiar voice startled him for a second, then brought a smile to his face.

"Hi Tom, this is Niles…Brightmore from the restaurant in Winchester?"

"Niles, mate!" Tom exclaimed surprised "I haven't heard from you in ages. How have you managed to track me down then?"

"Didn't your wife tell you?" Niles chuckled "I bumped into her at the Christmas Market and she passed on your number. Didn't she mention that?"

"Nope, must've slipped her mind," he chuckled now as well "she has a friend visiting at the moment and I guess the two of them are too busy gossiping than to…well, you know what women are like."

"Sure…sure…" Niles nodded even though he'd never thought of C.C. in these stereotypical ways.

Of course she was a conniving harpy who relished a juicy bit of gossip as much as he did but generally speaking he couldn't think of her in a stereotypically girly fashion. He grinned; there was an insult in there somewhere.

"Listen, why don't you come by for dinner tomorrow? I'm sure Cathy wouldn't mind…"

"Do you want to rub it in my face again that I've lost the best sous-chef I've ever had?" Niles asked teasingly.

"Maybe," his friend grinned "but come on, mate, say yes. It isn't that far up from Winchester."

"Actually I am in London at the moment, my father needed an operation."

"Well then you can tell me all about that tomorrow, alright?" Tom asked again, this time with a hint of concern in his voice.

"Alright, I will." Niles confirmed "Around 6?"

"Sounds perfect, see you then."

"Bye," and he hung up with decidedly mixed feelings about the following day.

Seeing Tom again would be nice, his excitement had certainly been touching, but then the poor guy didn't know about the awkwardness that was sure to come with C.C. in the same room. But things had been arranged now and Niles didn't have the heart to back out again.

* * *

><p>He wouldn't have been the only one to back out of this dinner but C.C. wasn't fortunate enough to be informed in the first place. So when she returned from her trip to the National Gallery she was in no way prepared for a dinner with guests. But Cathy seemed incredibly excited and Tom had the evening off for a change, so C.C. slipped out of her coat and reassured her friend that she'd join them after freshening up quickly. She'd had a good day so far and was dying for some equally good food, but when she had crossed the threshold and entered the living room the smile on her face swiftly vanished. She hadn't expected to see him there. Niles didn't seem surprised but at least had the decency to look slightly uncomfortable, while Cathy was wearing an infuriatingly satisfied smile.<p>

"And here's our guest," Tom announced "she's a friend of Cathy's as I've told you. C.C. Babcock meet Niles-"

"We know each other," they both chorused, his voice monotone and hers with a definite edge to it.

"Oh well…that's a coincidence. Great…great…" he nervously glanced at Cathy when neither of his guests seemed to share that sentiment.

"Help yourself to some salad," Cathy offered, clearly the only one nonplussed with the icy silence that had suddenly grabbed hold of the entire living room.

"I seem to have lost my appetite," she replied haughtily, staring at a spot on the wall.

"There's no need to be so rude, Babcock," Niles muttered to her under his breath "Tom prepared everything himself, the least you could do would be to act hospitable."

"Are _you_ honestly choosing to lecture_ me _right now?" she replied, her eyes darting up to meet his blue ones.

"As a matter of fact I am," he confirmed "but what's that you're insinuating? That I have no reason to lecture you? That I'd be the one in need of a lecture?"

Tom directed another half nervous half confused look at his wife and shifted around on his chair.

"Yes! You're the one who keeps a photo of his so called ex in his closet while he's supposed to be married!"

"Exactly, are you hearing yourself, Babcock? I am _supposed _to be married. Why on earth would I ask you to pretend to be my fiancée if I already had a girlfriend to begin with?"

"Because…because…" C.C. spluttered, knowing that she was acting nonsensical but feeling betrayed nonetheless.

"Just what I thought…you wouldn't be jealous, would you?" he arched an eyebrow.

And just then C.C. reached her breaking point. It wasn't bad enough that she'd lost an argument to him but being humiliated in front of her friends? So she pushed away from the table and marched herself out into the hall, grabbed her coat again, yanked her boots on and then left the house.

"Apologies," Niles sighed and went after her, leaving a bewildered Tom and an even more intrigued looking Cathy behind.

He caught her half-way down the garden path and stopped her.

"I'm sorry…I was out of line," he said, not being entirely truthful but reminding himself that he had intended to win her over for one last meeting with his parents.

"You could say that," she replied, crossing her arms defensively.

He could see her eyes darting towards the little gate and knew that she would bolt at the next best opportunity.

"I had assumed Cathy would've told you I was coming for dinner. I caught Tom on the phone the other day and he invited me over. Trust me I have learned by now when to leave you alone…"

"This would beg to differ…" she muttered but he let it slide.

"But…" he swallowed, unsure of how to make this next move "I know it's inappropriate given the state we're in but I'd still ask you to join me and my parents at home after my father's released on Friday."

She opened her mouth and he held up his hand to stop her.

"I know…I know but please…you might think I exaggerated when I said my dad wasn't the same anymore but for me it's true. He might try to mask it but I can tell he's thinking more and more about the possibility of his death and he already feels bad enough now that he's had his hip operation because he can't help my mother as much anymore as he would like to."

She looked at him and then quickly averted her eyes once more. His concern for his father was genuine and it tore at her heart. Back in her years at the Sheffield mansion she probably would've found it possible to brush his words off but the part of her that had cracked under his words was finding it impossible to be so cruel.

"We agreed to a weekend," she argued weakly.

"Yes but you left five minutes after having entered the hospital," he pointed out; not reproachfully however but with a small smile.

"Friday?" she sighed and he nodded "Alright…I'll meet you at the hotel then."


	6. Chapter 5

**A/N: Thanks for the reviews :) I hurried up this time to get the next chapter out in time. lol I hope you'll like it and leave me some reviews. **

Chapter 5:

C.C. was surprisingly keen to leave the house when Friday had arrived. She needed a change of scenery and especially a distance from a person she had once called a friend. Cathy had gone too far and what was worse didn't seem to notice even how difficult the situation was and how much damage could be done by silly, meddling actions. They hadn't spoken much since the horrendous dinner and C.C. preferred it that way although she couldn't help but feel sorry for Tom who hadn't asked for any of this. To him she had apologised because he'd hoped for a reunion with an old friend that had been cut short and because she knew without needing Niles to point it out, that she'd been acting rudely towards him.

Now she was making her way across town and to Niles' hotel again, the same little suitcase in tow once more. Traffic was horrible and the roads congested, but she had set off earlier this time – eager to get out of the house – and so managed to arrive on time nonetheless. Niles and his mother had already checked out and were waiting for her at the entrance when she stepped out of the cab.

"I'm glad you could make it, my dear," Marie greeted her and placed a light peck on each of her cheeks.

"Yes, business could wait for another day," she answered, a sentence that she'd never imagine she'd hear herself speak.

"That's the spirit," Marie nodded eagerly and then turned towards her son "is he meeting us there?"

"Yes," he nodded "a little bit later though. He wanted to give us enough time to get dad's last check-ups out of the way."

"Good…good…" she smiled and together they started the journey towards St Bart's hospital.

"My father's friend and our neighbour, John, has offered to come and pick us all up and drive us home. That way dad won't have to sit through an uncomfortable train journey and I don't have to tackle the crazy London traffic." Niles clarified along the way.

"That's nice," C.C. smiled a little but wondered secretly how comfortable their journey would now really be.

* * *

><p>When they arrived at the hospital room, Henry had already dressed with the help of a nurse and was sitting up in his bed, looking ready to go.<p>

"Are we late?" Marie asked, glancing guiltily at her watch.

"Of course not, I just decided to save us some time." Henry smiled in return.

"But what about your final check-up?" Niles now asked, leaning in to give his dad a brief hug.

"Also done and dusted. The doctor came in earlier and asked me if I minded."

"So you're well enough to go?"

"Yes, Marie," he smiled again "the hip is healing fine. I am just to take it slow and call the physiotherapist once we're home to arrange my first session."

C.C. remained in the background, not wanting to intrude on the family moment, a situation that felt familiar because it resembled most of her life with the Sheffields. She was also too aware of Henry's gaze that kept sweeping in her direction, clearly curious as to why she was here when she was supposed to be off on business. She pondered for a moment if she should explain herself but then Niles offered to help his dad up and his attention finally shifted away from her.

"Okay, nice and slow," Niles was encouraging him, an arm wrapped around the small of his back to steady him.

Their progress was slow and painful to watch and C.C. averted her eyes. When Henry had still been sitting in bed, chatting eagerly away and showing no signs of injury or setbacks, it had been easy to think that Niles had been so worried for nothing. But now she could see for herself that his concerns weren't unfounded and she longed to be able to comfort him. It was an unfamiliar urge, not because she'd never experienced it before but because she hadn't allowed herself to dwell on it for longer than a second. And the last time she had given in to it he had repaid her by pranking and ridiculing her so she had learned that showing any kind of consideration towards him came with immense risks.

"There's a wheelchair by the door," Henry said, panting a bit from the effort of steadily moving forwards "the nurse said we could use it if we wanted to."

"That sounds like a good plan," Niles agreed and then gently helped him to sit down "Are you comfortable enough?"

"Yes…yes…" he grumbled, while his wife pressed a kiss to the crown of his head "Stop tip-toeing around me…I'm on my way _out_ of the hospital, remember?"

Marie moved behind the wheelchair and placed a re-assuring hand on his shoulder while manoeuvring him through the corridors of the building. C.C. kept her distance and trailed behind them until they reached the car park. There, an older man flew out of his car at the first sight of them and smiled.

"Marie, Henry," he nodded and looked the latter one briefly up and down "now did they make things better in there or worse?"

Henry chuckled but pushed himself out of the wheelchair as if determined to convince his friend of his well-being. "It's a temporary measure. Once the physiotherapy starts I'll be more limber again." And he shot a mischievous grin in his wife's direction who only rolled her eyes.

"We thought we'd have to wait some time for you still," Niles remarked "because dad got released sooner than expected."

"Me too, to be honest, but then I heard how terrible traffic was supposed to be today because it's the weekend and they're expecting a lot of people flocking into the city for some last-minute Christmas shopping and so I ended up leaving earlier rather than later as planned."

He opened the boot of his car and then helped Niles lift his parents' luggage into it.

"Yours too, love," Niles then added with a brief glance at her and C.C. came closer and allowed them to squeeze her little suitcase in as well.

"Perfect," John smiled and shut the boot "make yourself comfortable, everybody." He paused and smiled at her. "I don't believe we've met yet?"

"No," C.C. shook her head and then took his hand "I'm Niles' fiancée, C-"

"Lola," Niles intersected quickly, a look of sheer panic crossing his face.

"Lola?" she mouthed back at him as if she was personally offended by this name selection.

"Something the matter?" Henry asked sweetly while Marie exercised some pressure on his shoulder to keep him from going overboard with his curiosity.

"Well no…it's just that I despise the name Lola…" C.C. explained who chose to ignore Niles who was rapidly shaking his head "and he should really know that. I much prefer Claire…"

Before she had finished her sentence Niles had let out some kind of strangled sound that he was now trying to cover up with a cough. She didn't understand what he was so nervous about. Of course she had caught on to the fact that his imaginative fiancée had been called Lola. So had he really thought that she'd ruin everything for him now simply because she didn't approve of a name? Or was he afraid that she would've used her actual name? But what was there to be afraid of? That his parents would remember her to be Maxwell's business partner? If so, what stories had he told them about her that would warrant such a panicked reaction?

She frowned but decided to shake it off when Niles said: "I'm sorry, I really should know better but you know I just can't resist teasing you."

"Yes, it keeps things interesting, doesn't it?" she replied with a playful grin.

Once the awkwardness of the moment had been overcome, they all crammed into the car and started their journey towards Winchester. C.C. who sat squeezed between Niles and his mother in the back was relieved when they eventually reached their destination 2 hours later. John's Ford slipped slowly into the driveway crunching gravel underneath its wheels and finally came to a standstill in front of a house that was as small as C.C. had imagined but otherwise much prettier. It resembled the little cottages one could find in the Cotswolds with ivy ranking around the door and the windows which was now covered in frost.

She waited for everyone else to disembark and then stepped out as well and took her suitcase back from John. Then she left the Brightmores behind to thank him for the lift and went wandering down the path that was half wet from melted snow and towards the front door. She asked herself if Niles had grown up in this house or if it had taken his parents a number of years to save up for it but she didn't feel comfortable bringing it up, knowing just how touchy Niles had always been on money matters.

"Let's get you inside and let's get the fire started, eh dear?" Marie said who had suddenly appeared by her side.

"That sounds nice," C.C. agreed and stepped aside to let her unlock the front door.

The plan sounded even better when she had set a foot inside and discovered just how cold the place was. But despite its current lack of heating C.C. couldn't deny that it felt warmer and more welcoming than any of her parents' estates had done. She followed Marie deeper into the house and found that most of the rooms she encountered had stone walls and dark wooden beams along the ceiling. And on the mantelpiece numerous picture frames were placed that gave an insight into the life of the family who inhabited this place. There was Henry and Marie's wedding photo in which she had such a big belly that the fabric of her dress seemed to strain to fit over it. There were baby pictures, toddler pictures and graduation pictures aplenty so that C.C. wondered how they all managed to fit on there. And then there was a picture of another young man in a tux who had his arm wrapped around his wife. C.C. frowned and gingerly picked it up and then followed Marie into the living room. The old woman sat crouched by a fire place.

"This isn't Niles, is it?" C.C. asked, holding up the picture frame.

Marie turned with a smile which quickly vanished and made room for a much sadder expression. "No, that's his brother Roger."

"Roger?" C.C. arched an eyebrow "He's never mentioned he's had a brother."

"No, I don't imagine he would," Marie sighed and turned back to light the fire "they aren't on good terms."

C.C. opened her mouth to investigate further but then decided against it. Marie had looked sad enough without having her prying into private matters. Instead she quickly returned the frame to where she had found it and then gave Niles a hand with the luggage so he could help his dad get settled in one of the large armchairs in the living room. He hadn't been seated for five minutes when Marie began fussing over him.

"Here's a blanket, love," she said and bundled him up in it "to keep you warm while the fire is starting. Now I'll go and make us all some nice sandwiches for lunch and then tonight we can have that roast dinner you've been asking for for days."

"Thank you," he smiled and kissed her gently and then called after her "do we still have some of those chocolate chip cookies you made?"

"Not today, Henry," she called back and he pulled a very Niles-like face that made C.C. chuckle "and you should better give that physiotherapist a ring!"

"Blasted woman is always harping on about a diet. Diet and exercise...how am I supposed to get into the Christmas spirit without cookies?"

"I tell you what gets me into the holiday spirit…a big glass of Whiskey," C.C. grinned and now it was his turn to chuckle.

"Now you see, that's what separates you upper class people from us…we choose substance over anything."

"How did you know?" she frowned, suddenly on edge.

She'd always proudly outed herself as a socialite but now that she was on their turf it felt almost a disadvantage to be rich. For the first time she really understood how Niles must've felt in the Park Avenue world he had inhabited for most of his life.

"Oh sweetheart, it's obvious. You have that air about you…and the awkwardness when it comes to matters of the heart."

C.C. remained silent, uncertain of what to say and afraid to think which way the conversation might be heading.

"My boy has always been very fond of women who were out of his reach. I don't know why he insists on making his life harder than necessary," he paused and chuckled and C.C. decided to risk a small smile "now don't get me wrong, not all the women he chased were rich but…most of them were completely wrong for him, they were too old, too boring," he shrugged "disloyal…or emotionally unavailable. But still he kept trying…" he winced and his face took on a melancholy expression "until he returned from America. I had never seen him so resigned…so withdrawn but he wouldn't tell us what had happened. He wouldn't have mentioned anything to you, would he?"

C.C. resisted the urge to wince as well as her mind flashed back to the scene on the stairs. If she had known that his proposals were serious…not just another prank she would've… Her thoughts stopped there as they always did since she had found out that she'd made a mistake back then. Would she have handled things better? Gentler? Or would she have pushed him away in a similarly harsh fashion?

"Is Maman in the kitchen already?"

Niles' question snapped her out of her thoughts but without even opening her mouth she had already told Henry what he had wanted to know. That his suspicions had been right all along and that she had been involved somehow.

"You know what she's like," he replied to his son's question, reluctantly tearing his eyes away from C.C. "she's making us some sandwiches."

"I'll see if I can help."

* * *

><p>The day slipped by so quickly that C.C. only realised how late it was when Niles' parents yawned and announced that they were going to bed. They heard them disappear slowly up the stairs but both remained on the couch, too full from dinner to get up and move just yet.<p>

"That apple crumble was delicious," C.C. announced after a while, if only in need to fill the silence.

Whatever awkwardness had existed between them before had been surprisingly absent all day and she felt the desperate need to keep it that way.

"It's good comfort food," he agreed, glancing up from the book he'd been reading "especially in Winter."

She nodded to herself and momentarily relived the experience of the sweet crumble, mixing deliciously with the tangy, sticky apples with just a hint of cinnamon.

"Do you think I could make it?" she then asked and was relieved to see the corner of his mouth twitch in amusement.

"Mmh…I don't know, Babcock. That depends on whether you've already mastered the art of peeling and cutting apples?"

"Put a sock in it, butler boy," she tossed out, happily matching his smile though until she realised that she had used _that_ name.

The smile on his face froze and a little bit of the old sadness stole back into his eyes but before either of them could comment on it, Marie appeared back in the living room.

"I couldn't tell you earlier," she whispered "but all the guests will be arriving tomorrow at 7…except for Katherine, she'd said she'd be by around 5 to help me prepare dinner."

C.C. swallowed and her eyes now darted to Marie who was doing her hardest to keep focused on her son.

"Okay," he nodded and smiled "I'll distract dad in here then in the meantime."

"Thank you," Marie replied and gave a little wave at both of them "I'll see you in the morning. Sleep well."

"Mrs Brightmore?" C.C. called quickly, acting on a whim.

"Yes, my dear?" the older woman turned to finally face her.

"I forgot to mention earlier but business has been postponed for uh…quite some time so if it's all the same to you I'd stay for another night?"

"Of course, sweetheart. Just make yourself at home." Marie smiled knowingly and then disappeared again.

Niles waited until the creaking of the floorboards above their heads indicated that she had entered the bedroom and then asked as conversationally as possible: "So you'll be staying an extra night? That's very considerate of you."

She nodded in response but refused to say anything further, then emptied the cup of cocoa Marie had made for her and started to walk towards the stairs as well. Niles put his book aside and followed.

"So your sudden change of heart wouldn't have anything to do with Katherine's presence tomorrow?" he asked softly but still teasingly.

"I refuse to dignify that with an answer," she commented haughtily and then stopped at the top of the stairs when she realised that she didn't know which room they'd be sharing.

"So that's a yes then," Niles persisted, slipped past her and into their bedroom where he had previously taken their suitcases to.

"Fine, Niles, you want an answer?" she challenged and quickly fished all the necessary items out of her suitcase.

He nodded and looked at her expectantly.

"Yes, I am jealous and a little appalled at your judgement. Why would you invite a woman who was, according to you, last seen riding someone else's co-"

"Thanks for the reminder," Niles interrupted, holding up a hand, but he didn't seem annoyed, pleased if anything.

He hadn't ever expected her to admit it out loud and that's why he refrained from explaining to her how his relationship with Katherine had changed.

"So you're really just looking out for me?" he asked instead, eyeing her amused as she stomped her way to the little bathroom.

"Yes, I'm going to show her what a real fiancée is supposed to act like."


	7. Chapter 6

**A/N: Great big thank you to the people who're still sticking with this story. Hope you like this update. R&R please! :)**

Chapter 6:

C.C. awoke to the sunlight falling into the room from the window behind their bed. She stretched once luxuriously until her toes curled against the sheet and her back clicked satisfyingly. Then she habitually reached for her glasses that were resting on the nightstand, before rolling back on her side, burying her arm underneath the blanket once more to chase the goosebumps away that had formed there. Then she instinctively shifted towards the closest source of warmth but only realised when she had put her arm halfway around his chest, that she had snuggled up to Niles. Her body froze in embarrassment of having made just the mistake she'd tried to avoid by spending an uncomfortable night at the edge of a bed a couple of days ago. But his slow, steady breathing gave her hope that perhaps he was still so fast asleep that he hadn't noticed her faux-pas. So slowly she started to move her arm back until: "Good morning, C.C."

She froze again, but this time with a slightly more pleasurable feeling in the pit of her stomach. Had he called her "Babcock", she knew she'd been in for merciless teasing, but his choice of her first name instead indicated a kind of truce. So she remained where she was, a small gap between their bodies but with her hand resting on his chest.

"Good morning," she replied as nonchalantly as possible.

"You're truly an old woman now, I see?" he asked, nudging his chin towards her glasses, while his arm moved away from between their bodies and wrapped around her shoulder instead, tugging her closer.

C.C. knew that she couldn't protest (not that she minded their position very much) because then he'd undoubtedly question her move and she was too relieved at having got away with it, to provoke it now.

"Yes, well…I've needed reading glasses for a while but now I need them regularly too when I'm not wearing my contacts."

"You didn't wear either at the hotel," he frowned and she shrugged.

"I wasn't prepared yet to give you an easy insult…besides I only needed to make it to the bathroom."

"Awww…that's so cute!" he exclaimed and she frowned.

"What is?"

"You were trying to look appealing to me…" he pretended to gush.

"Does your hearing aid need changing?" she snapped "I said I was trying to-"

"But don't worry, Babs," he continued with an amused grin "you'll always be hideous to me."

"Okay, that's it!" she announced, slipped out of his arms and marched towards the bathroom once more "I'm having a shower."

Niles chuckled happily to himself and watched her go. There was no doubt in his mind that there wasn't any better way of starting the day.

By the time she returned 20 minutes later, he had snoozed off again and only awoke when he felt her weight on the mattress once more. Her silver hair was moist but neatly combed and he chuckled amused.

"When did you stop dyeing it by the way?"

"Oh a while ago," she shrugged "it became too much of a hassle."

"Aren't women supposed to make the effort?"

"Oh come on, Niles," she rolled her eyes "don't give me that BS, you're better than this."

"Was that a compliment?"

"Yes, but primarily an insult for acting like a dumbass sexist. If that's your ideal image of a woman, you would've been much better suited with Nanny Fine after all."

Niles ignored her comments, knowing that he'd only been teasing her and asked with a grin: "So is that another woman you were jealous of?"

C.C. groaned and threw her hands in the air. "There goes my peaceful morning. Why don't you just go and shower?"

"I can't…you're wearing my robe."

"Ah yes, the XXXL tag should've been a tip-off," she tossed back, drawing the blanket up to her chest again "Well, you're not getting it back. It's cold in here…"

"I suppose it is," he nodded "I haven't heard my parents yet so I don't think the fire is on."

He climbed out of the bed and walked to his closet to retrieve some clothes.

"Don't they have individual radiators in the rooms?" C.C. frowned.

"In some…I'm sorry it's not the palace that you're used to," he replied, his tone suddenly colder.

"I wasn't insinuating anything, Niles. I was just wondering."

He swallowed and nodded slowly. "I'm sorry," he then sighed "I suppose you're right about my issues….I need to work on that."

And without further comment he withdrew into the bathroom. His admission came as a relief and diffused some of the tension that had been starting to build again. Nonetheless she could feel that a small barrier had been erected between them once more and she regretted having made such a careless remark when she should've known how he would take it. Suddenly the warmth of the bed didn't seem so inviting anymore, so she slipped away from between the sheets and started to pick out an outfit so she was dressed by the time Niles joined her again.

They managed to keep their civility over breakfast even though it was slightly more cautious and came less naturally than it had done in the morning. And by the time it was afternoon, they had their hands so full keeping Henry distracted that neither could spare a thought for other matters.

At 5 o'clock on the dot Katherine knocked on the door and C.C. cursed her perfect punctuality but then was forced holding up a conversation with Henry so that Niles could lead her secretly to the kitchen.

"Just Mrs Hutson," he explained when he re-emerged five minutes later "she was inquiring about you."

"Well, that's nice of her," Henry smiled "didn't you invite her in?"

"Oh I did," Niles hurriedly lied "but she was on her way into town and only wanted to stop by briefly."

Then everything went very fast. Henry had just complained about the lack of dinner as well as the lack of his wife's presence, when the doorbell rang and suddenly half the village seemed to be filing into the Brightmore's small living room. Hugs and pleasantries were exchanged and then there didn't seem to be any more room for C.C. who eventually found herself trapped between the bookcase and the door in all too close proximity to Katherine. And with no room to escape, the inevitable soon happened.

"Hi there, you look familiar. I'm Katherine. Have we met before?"

C.C. gave her a tense smile in return. "I don't think so. I'm Claire, Niles' fiancée."

The red-head studied her suspiciously and slightly narrowed her eyes. "I can remember Niles mentioning that he was seeing someone…I guess I didn't realise how serious it was."

"Well, it is," C.C. confirmed and scanned the room in search for him but he was nowhere to be found.

"You're not wearing a ring," Katherine pointed out and C.C. flexed her fingers.

Of course it had been a miracle that neither of his parents had ever seemed to have spotted that little detail, but her insistence and obvious doubt made C.C. annoyed.

"Why would I lie?" she asked as sweetly as possible.

"I'm sorry," Katherine sighed "I'm giving you a hard time. Niles…he's been my friend for a number of years now and I'd hate to see him get hurt."

This time she really had to bite her tongue so she wouldn't put the blasted woman in her place. Who was she to feign concern when she had cheated on him several years ago?

"Excuse me," C.C. muttered and finally pushed past her and out of the room.

She didn't know where to go, so for the time being she withdrew to the safety of the little bathroom that was adjacent to her and Niles' bedroom. Although she doubted that anyone would miss her what with all the people in the living room, she still knew that she'd only have a limited amount of time to collect herself. She didn't want to appear impolite on the off chance that someone would come looking for her. So she splashed some cold water on her face and tried to pull herself together as best as she could. She had known when she had decided to stay for another day that this evening would be complicated so it was silly, really, to act like this now. She had promised Niles to show up Katherine, to demonstrate how a proper fiancée acted and she was damned if she'd fail now and let him tease her about it forever.

When she returned, nobody seemed to have noticed her absence and even though she had expected it, it still hurt her knowing that she always seemed to be the least missed person. Granted, there had been times at the Sheffields when she had been glad to be able to slip away unnoticed, but most of the time she had felt like a spectator. Niles, on the other hand, always seemed to fit in. Even at fancy functions where he was asked to serve everyone he seemed to know his way. It didn't occur to her that perhaps he had felt just as lonely as she was feeling now.

She was just about to set foot into the living room, when she noticed Katherine moving over to Niles. Her arm slipped around his back and she pressed a kiss to his cheek that made C.C. grip the frame of the door more firmly. She couldn't hear a word they were saying but in a way she felt she didn't need to. From her position she could observe accurately what wasn't being said. It was as if in the gestures and touches a whole history played out that she would never have with Niles. And not for the first time she heard his words echoing through her mind: "You'll be wondering what might have been." Ever since he had uttered this ridiculous accusation she had fought against it. She had tried her best to prove to him – even though he was no longer a part of her life – that she didn't have an alcohol problem, that she could take care of herself and have meaningful relationships. She had worked on herself and some of her nasty old habits but apparently victory had been his in the end. It left a foul taste in her mouth and so she turned away, retrieved her purse from the mantelpiece and then headed for the nearest exit. She had hoped that it would've gone unnoticed, but before she had turned to go, Marie had spotted her and whispered to her son in passing: "Your fiancée looks lost." And Niles had looked at her and had felt instantly regretful. He hadn't encouraged Katherine to come and talk to him, but he had secretly been hoping to get C.C. jealous enough to provoke some actions to follow up on the words she had spoken the previous night. He would've never imagined her to react like this instead and felt consequently terribly helpless.

C.C. only made it as far as the driveway, when the cold halted her in her tracks. She was in the middle of nowhere, once more separated from her clothes and dependent on others if she wanted to escape. Momentarily at a loss of plan, she rummaged in her purse for a cigarette. One vice that she hadn't been able to shake completely, only to cut down on, but she could always count on finding an emergency cigarette nearby. She had just lifted it to her mouth and was starting to light it when somebody behind her cleared his throat.

"I'm afraid we're a non-smoking household, Claire." Henry Brightmore smiled at her and she dropped the cigarette back into the depth of her purse.

"I'm sorry, I thought it would be alright out here."

"I won't stop you," he replied, spreading his hands "but trust a man who's just come out of the hospital. Your health is much too precious to waste. I know Niles would agree."

C.C. sighed and nodded and wrapped her arms around herself. The last thing she needed to receive right now was another bit of guilt from another Brightmore.

"Is there a particular reason why you felt the need for some…fresh…air?" he continued after a while, the same soft smile playing around his lips.

"I…" she hesitated "I don't feel particularly comfortable in crowds. I just needed a break for a few minutes."

"I can sympathise," he gave her a lopsided grin "I get easily overwhelmed. Marie on the other hand revels in it. She loves entertaining and looking after people."

"She must've passed that on to Niles then."

"Yes and no…" he paused and gestured for her to join him on the little bench he was sitting on "Niles certainly needs people…he needs to feel appreciated, but then…who doesn't? The cooking and taking care part isn't so much up his alley though. Don't get me wrong, he does love to cook…he just…doesn't like waiting on others. He doesn't like anything that reminds him of being a butler…not even now that that job is in the part. Roger, our other son, loves to entertain. While Niles is used to being overlooked, Roger is used to all the attention."

"Your wife mentioned they aren't on good terms?" C.C. carefully ventured because Henry seemed open to further explanation and because anything was better than thinking about Katherine and Niles.

"That's an understatement," he chuckled sadly "they haven't talked in years. Niles is the first born, so naturally he followed in our footsteps…the Sheffields needed someone to look after their son and we needed to make sure that our boy would stand on his own feet as quickly as possible. And then…Roger came along and finances became even tighter. Niles had been toying with the idea of a degree in law but confronted with the new development saw no other option than to start his training as a butler. He helped us pay for Roger's education in the end."

"That's quite the sacrifice," she commented carefully.

And it certainly made things clearer as to why Niles had always stuck with the Sheffields until now, when he could've done so much more with his skills.

"Yes…and when Roger decided to become a lawyer, well, it all but destroyed their relationship. He's my son and I love him, but he's also terribly ungrateful and arrogant. I keep hoping he'll come to his senses and they'll reconcile."

C.C. nodded but stayed silent because there didn't seem much more to say and so they both remained sitting next to each other, until Henry suddenly looked at her and asked more seriously: "So Miss Babcock, why are you really out here?"

Her last name hit her like a slap in the face and she could feel blood rushing to her head.

"I uh…uh…" she stammered like she hadn't done in years "I told you…"

"I have a feeling there's more," he gently persisted "and I am not just talking about today."

"Niles and Katherine seem very close…" she finally muttered, taking a sudden interest in the gravel.

"They are…not the way you're thinking though…but I must admit that that reaction gives me hope…"

"Why?" she swallowed.

"Because it means that there must be feelings there…" he shrugged.

"It's too late for that," she brushed his suggestion off as a ridiculous notion.

"I don't think so," he smiled and studied her "I don't think you're a superstitious woman but I believe in signs. And when two people are suddenly thrown together again after, I believe, not having seen each other in years…I think they're being given a second chance."

"How long have you known about this…charade?" C.C. asked, tilting her head to meet his gaze.

"Since the beginning," he admitted freely.

"Well then, I wouldn't call it fate. I'd call it an old guy meddling."

"Call it what you wish, Miss Babcock," he chuckled "but please consider your next move. You're only here until tomorrow and Niles isn't on to us yet. I suggest you use that to your advantage and maybe then you won't have to worry about Katherine anymore."


	8. Chapter 7

**A/N: Hi guys! Well, this story is rapidly approaching its end. There'll be either 1 more chapter or a chapter and an Epilogue, I haven't decided yet. Anyway, leave me some reviews and tell me what you think. :) **

Chapter 7: 

After her conversation with Henry was over, C.C. didn't return to the party but instead withdrew to the safety of the bedroom. This time she didn't care how her actions would look to Niles and she also wasn't afraid that she might insult his parents because she was certain that Henry would explain to his wife what had just happened. What had seemed an enormous, interminable task at the beginning, now seemed to end all too quickly. But then, of course, when all of this had started she had been eager to get away from Niles, now she had to try and figure out if that still was the case and if it wasn't what consequences that would entail.

She kicked off her shoes and slipped under the sheets of the bed, grasping Niles' pillow and holding it to her chest. The faint smell of his shampoo emanated from it and had an oddly soothing effect on her. But still her head felt so full of thoughts that she wished she could just pull them out like individual strands and deposit them with someone who was clearly more adept at this type of thing. When the familiar panic at not being able to handle a situation efficiently enough arose in her and threatened to shut her down even more, she suddenly remembered her therapist's advice. _Don't get lost in details. Stop thinking about the implications. Just pick the problem apart nice and rationally._ The thought was that by the time she had managed this first step, she had calmed down enough to tackle the details and implications that had seemed so scary in the beginning.

So C.C. took one deep breath and tried to imagine laying out the problems on the bed in front of her.

Niles and Katherine.

She sank her teeth into her bottom lip, hoping that the sharp pain would allow her to think more clearly. If she listened to Marie and Henry, then Katherine didn't pose a serious problem at all. But just to calm herself down some more, C.C. revisited all the information she had gathered about the woman. Niles had had some serious feelings about her in the past. He had pursued her and they had become a couple. She had cheated on him and they hadn't spoken in a while. But now they seemed to be friends again or perhaps more.

C.C. sighed and rubbed at her forehead as if trying to chase the intrusive doubts away. Instead she tried focusing on what she could do to change the situation in her favour. Niles' father was convinced enough that they still had a chance with each other. That implied that Niles had no feelings for Katherine but possibly feelings for her. Her thoughts swayed towards the next issue suddenly, back to their last encounter at the stairs of the Sheffield mansion and only with great effort did she manage to tug them …solutions. All she really needed to do was to set some boundaries. Show Katherine – which had been the plan all along- that she was now Niles' fiancée and that he was no longer available.

With that problem seemingly solved, if also doing it would be much harder than thinking about it, C.C. allowed herself to think back to her own mistakes. Again, she tackled it rationally. Several years ago, Niles had proposed to her five times. She had not only declined but ridiculed him, believing it all to be a huge prank. Now she knew that he had been serious about his proposals. So in consequence she knew and understood why he'd been so hurt, why he'd said all of those things to her. But likewise she knew by his actions now that he had to have forgiven her to a certain degree to ask her to play this game of charades with him. And she reminded herself once more that Henry was certain that this also meant that Niles still had feelings for her.

Which brought her to her biggest problem. She just didn't know what to do with herself or how to act now that she had all of this information. Her jealousy towards Katherine meant that there were feelings there for her as well but was it worth investing in an uncertain future when she only had a couple of hours to make that decision?

She didn't get any further than this because the bedroom door was suddenly opened and then man in question stepped inside.

"I appreciate that you're doing all of us a favour and staying away but," he paused and grinned "are you alright?"

"I'm fine," she replied, unable to figure out if he had just come to tease her or if he was truly concerned.

"Did Katherine scare you away?" he poked and she was too taken off-guard by his words to notice the nervous smile he was wearing.

"No," she protested, her voice taking on a child-like quality "I just didn't want to be surrounded by so many people anymore. What is it with you Brightmore men and these questions?"

"What do you mean?" he frowned and joined her on the bed.

"Nothing…nothing…" she shook her head.

He observed her for another moment but eventually continued. "Katherine was just telling me that apparently she gave you the third degree about our "engagement"."

"You could say that…" C.C. muttered "You know for an ex-girlfriend she really is quite protective of you."

"Can't she be?"

"Well, I'd say she's lost any damn right to that when she cheated on you…but you seem to disagree." she muttered venomously.

"You know, Babcock," he sighed "for the longest time I did agree with that. What she did hurt me a lot and did make me quite wary of women and loyalty. But when we met again, I was in a bad place…" He trailed off and C.C. was suddenly starting to feel uncomfortable.

He hadn't directly mentioned it but she had seen the photo and knew that this encounter had taken place after the events at the Sheffields. He had been in a bad place because of her. What an ironic twist of fate it would be, if she had driven them to a reconciliation. He spoke again but she found it impossible to look into his eyes this time. Hearing about it would be bad enough.

"She had just been through a nasty break-up and I'd…well…you know…so once the first moments of hostility were over we started to commiserate…I'm sure the alcohol was doing its thing to help mellow us. So soon we were flirting and then making out…" he laughed for a moment "it was pathetic, really…like teenagers in a bar…"

C.C. kept staring at the blanket, twisting her hands now and wondering why on earth he felt the need to share all that with her.

"But eventually we stopped…and we began talking about everything that had happened in the past. She pointed out that I hadn't forgiven her yet and that it was a mistake to get involved again. She was right, of course…but not only because of that."

Before he could explain more there was a knock on the door and both of their heads snapped up.

"Yes?" he called.

"Niles, it's me," Katherine answered "your mother sent me…"

He saw C.C.'s shoulders tense, saw her glancing at the bathroom to hide even further and that's when he decided to act. Just as the door swung open to reveal the woman who had inadvertently made things so much more complicated, he reached for C.C.'s hand and pulled her against him. Their lips met instantly and quickly, as if she'd expected him to make just that move, even though he could see the surprise in her eyes. And then everything else faded away for a few brief seconds. Katherine's frame disappeared, along with the sounds of the party from downstairs. All he felt was the softness of C.C.'s lips, caressing his and eventually tugging at his much needier. Then Katherine spoke again.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to interrupt. Your mother was just wondering where you'd gone and if you'd seen Claire."

Had C.C. looked up, she would've seen that the other woman was smiling.

"Thank you," Niles replied, his voice a little hoarse from all the emotions that had just flooded over him.

Katherine nodded and looked as if she was about to add something when Niles' mother herself appeared on the landing.

"Ah, I see you've found them," she said, the same mischievous twinkle in her eyes that could usually be found in Henry' she waited until Katherine had disappeared downstairs again before she continued: "Your father is getting a little tired so most of the guests are leaving now. Come and say goodbye and perhaps afterwards you could show Claire that delightful little lake your father used to take you to to go fishing?"

"Um…yes…I will…" he agreed and scrambled to his feet, suddenly resembling a teenage boy who'd been caught snogging by his parents.

C.C. would've chuckled had she not still been in shock herself. She watched him go, all the while feeling her lips tingling pleasantly, yearning for another kiss. She pushed herself off the bed as well and sneaked downstairs. Unlike Niles she felt no desire or was at least under no obligation to say goodbye to all the strangers. Instead she took her coat and left the house for the second time that day, hoping that he'd find her by the gate. But as the minutes ticked by she started wondering if he'd merely kissed her to keep up their pretence. What if she was waiting out here for him now like an idiot while he and Katherine...? _You're overthinking._ She could practically hear Dr Bort remind her but now it was impossible not to because everything seemed to be riding on this one walk around the lake. This one chance for them to talk about their feelings. Needing to relieve some tension, she kicked angrily at the mixture of gravel and snow that had accumulated by the entrance of the driveway and then looked up in time to see him emerging from the house, hurriedly wrapping a scarf around his neck.

"Sorry…they wouldn't let me go…" he jogged over to her, panting "old people...you know?"

"Such as yourself?" she teased grinning and followed him out of the driveway.

"Pipe down, Grizabella…you'd fit right in there as well."

C.C. chuckled and ignored his comment for a moment but eventually added: "You know somewhere across the pond Maxwell just let out a scream of anguish."

"Let him," Niles grinned "it's time he stopped acting like such a wimp."

C.C. smiled happily to herself and followed him down a little path that led them through the countryside until they finally reached the lake Marie had mentioned. In C.C.'s opinion it was rather small and not very much to look at, now covered with little layers of ice that seemed brittle enough to break within seconds should anyone be foolish enough to venture out there. The wind tore gently but coldly at her hair and clothes and made her shiver though not badly enough to make her wish they wouldn't have left the house. She glanced at Niles to see how he was faring and then realised that they hadn't spoken for a while. The ease with which they had bantered had disappeared once more and C.C. suddenly became acutely aware of a change in atmosphere.

"So uh…" she started but stopped again when she didn't know where to go next "we got interrupted earlier…"

"Yes…yes we did…didn't we?" he hummed and briefly made eye contact before shoving his hands deeper into his pockets, visibly uncomfortable.

"It was a nice interruption…in the end…" C.C. proceeded awkwardly before stopping once more.

She'd always known that she wasn't terribly good at these things but now she was once again baffled at how a seemingly simple task – such as talking about her feelings – could turn her into a bumbling idiot. She had handled temperamental choreographers, directors and actors from all over the states, she had put men in their place since the age of 28. So why on earth was it so difficult to produce a clear sentence now?

"You liked it?" he asked hesitantly and she nodded.

"Very much so…"

They suddenly seemed to have turned several decades younger. In order to stay busy, C.C. assumed, Niles started walking again and she followed suit and when they had rounded the lake she had made her decision.

"Okay, Niles, listen and please don't interrupt me because I don't think I can do this again," she started, gnawing at her bottom lip "when I saw that picture frame I realised that I'd made a mistake back in New York. When you proposed to me…I honestly thought you were pranking me. You were always so eager to criticise my love life. Either I was seeing too many men or too few. So when you proposed I thought it was just another ruse to make me look stupid. From my point of view, I could only lose. If I accepted your proposal or even more than one date, you'd suddenly come clean and everybody would laugh at me and Nanny Fine would constantly ask if I did have feelings for you. If I turned you down…well…we both know how that played out." She paused again and stopped walking. "I was so taken aback by your response, by your anger. I mean, obviously your prank had backfired but who gave you the right to say these things to me in the end? If I'd known you were serious I'd…" she bit her lip again "I'll be honest with you…I don't know what I would've done. I'd like to think that I would've acted less tactless at least. But otherwise, I don't know if the outcome would've been any different."

He nodded and waited a moment to take in her words.

"Would it have been so bad if Mrs Sheffield had questioned you about your feelings?" he finally asked and she chuckled.

"You know me…I don't like people meddling. And I was confused enough without her input. Our relationship has been…turbulent to say the least but when I was stuck in that freezing car with Maxwell and the little one on Hannukah?" she waited to see if he was following and then continued "Well, I clung to that stupid handkerchief you gave me and all I could think about was you…"

She broke off again; this time because hearing the words she had repeated to herself for a while now suddenly out loud made her cringe. It seemed to have the opposite effect on him, however. He looked up at her with hope in his eyes that triggered a sense of panic, of sudden expected commitment in her that she was struggling to suppress.

"That's as far as I've come…" she muttered, looking up to the horizon again where the outline of the village became visible once more.

"So what do we do now?" he asked and hurriedly reached for her hand, afraid that she would slip away if he didn't bind her to him by physical contact.

"I don't know…" she admitted, secretly revelling in the feeling of her cold hand in his warm one "You have a successful restaurant here and my business is in New York. It wouldn't be fair to give up either."

"No," he agreed and his face clouded into a frown "but there has to be a way…"

"We just need to figure it out…" C.C. mumbled and continued strolling with him hand in hand.


	9. Chapter 8

**A/N: Thanks for the reviews. Here's the last chapter for you. I'll still write a little Epilogue, I think. But this is the last official chapter. I hope you'll enjoy it. :) **

Chapter 8:

New Year's Eve had arrived and a glance at the clock told C.C. that she really ought to start getting ready if she didn't want to be late for the Sheffields' party. But the couch and the comfort of a blanket wrapped around her shoulders was enough to make this a rather difficult task. Deciding that she could risk being a couple of minutes late seeing as with the Fines present she'd only get some leftovers from the buffet in anyway, she rested her head on the top of the sofa once more and stared out of the window.

A week and a half had passed since she had last seen Niles and in more ways than one, C.C. felt that they'd made no progress. Sometimes she even wondered if that walk around the lake had taken place. They hadn't come to a solution. There had been none that wouldn't have required an immense sacrifice from the other, and they had both agreed that that was not a good way to start a relationship; especially one that had already been fraught with difficulties in the past. So they had tried to make good out of a bad situation and attempted to enjoy their last moments together as best as they could. But of course, neither of them had been satisfied.

The next day she had left for London again to collect her things and a day later she'd returned to the states just in time for Christmas. Only then had she allowed her feelings to catch up with her. As passionately charged as their relationship had always been, C.C. now found herself longing for the little moments in between. A shared smile at a witty insult, perhaps, or the way he had tugged her closer at night, afraid to miss out on the last chance of physical contact. Of course there was no doubt on C.C.'s mind that given more time and privacy they would've been doing it on every surface in the house but those things didn't seem as important anymore. Perhaps Niles had been right and she was getting old…

The thought of the comments he might've made, had he heard this admittance brought a melancholy smile to her face and finally she found the energy, if also reluctantly, to get up from the sofa and get dressed.

* * *

><p>An hour later she was waiting in front of the Sheffield mansion, tugging her coat closer to her body and suddenly regretting her choice of attire. She also noted to herself as the minutes ticked by, that Maxwell really needed to hire a new butler so that his guests and business acquaintances wouldn't freeze to death before the first meeting. But she knew how hard it had been for Maxwell to find a suitable replacement when Niles had quit his job and left for England. Before that particular train of thought could lead her right back to old, familiar territory the front door was finally opened and the former Nanny appeared, her flashy ensemble burning a hole into C.C.'s cornea.<p>

"Ah Nanny Fine," she greeted, pushing past the brunette "you look lovely as always."

"Same to you, Miss Babcock." Fran replied, barely disguising her own distaste for C.C.'s clothes.

Noticing it, C.C.'s lips curled into a smile and she relaxed somewhat and walked into the living room to greet the rest of the family.

But as the evening progressed she found herself confronted with that old feeling of not fitting in once more. She wasn't a family person and she certainly wasn't interested enough in making small talk with the Fines to engage anyone in a chat, so she chose her moment wisely and disappeared into the Sheffields' little library. Sometimes it was better to be truly alone than to feel like that while surrounded by several people.

She half-heartedly browsed through Maxwell's collection, spotting a couple of new additions ("Lace" and "Ripe for Seduction") that made her snort in amusement and whisper a silent apology to the other books in the room, until she found something that would interest her enough to read at that moment. She had only gotten through a couple of pages when suddenly the doorbell rang and distracted her. She pondered momentarily which Fine was still missing – for only a Fine could arrive so late – but eventually gave up because remembering that family tree was a daunting task, even for her.

So she tried to get engrossed in the book once more but found it difficult what with Nanny Fine squealing close by and several laughs emanating from the room as well. Whoever it was that had just arrived, the family definitely seemed thrilled. C.C. scrunched her nose, going through the list of eligible people once more. But the only one that could provoke such a reaction from both the Fines and the Sheffields could be…

She stood up and tossed the book aside and hurried out of the library. Once she had turned the corner though she slowed her pace once more, not wanting to look stupid in case her suspicion was wrong and…even if it was right, she didn't want to look too desperate. He looked up at her as soon as she had entered the room and both their mouths turned into broad smiles that they quickly tried to hide again.

"Oh hi Miss Babcock…" Fran said, who was the first to notice her, and now seemed keen to keep the peace, seeing as none of them were aware of her encounter with Niles in England "we've just had a surprise visitor."

A hushed silence fell over the room and all eyes were on them as they carefully approached each other. Niles chuckled and brought her into a tight embrace that was a little more rigid than usual because of the audience around them.

"They look scared…as if you might try and kill me…" he muttered into her ear and she smiled.

"Well, don't feel so safe just yet. I might still kill you…why didn't you tell me you were coming?"

"Oh Babs…I know how much you hate surprises. I couldn't resist." And he grinned playfully and released her again.

The room remained silent a second longer because apparently nobody had expected things to play out like that. But eventually the Fines found their voice again, dragged Niles into their circle and demanded to know everything that had happened since his return to England. C.C. listened to his stories for a while but when the Fines started making meal requests, she slipped out of the room once more, making sure that Niles had seen her leave.

He managed to follow her half an hour later but to his credit that was much quicker than she had imagined.

"My God they're like vultures…" he muttered to himself and then took a seat at the foot end of the leather sofa she had curled up on.

"I'm not sure what else you expected," she replied and put the book away once more.

He shrugged and smiled at her, then slipped her feet out of the heels she'd been wearing, put them on his lap and began massaging them.

"Is there a favour you want to ask me?" she inquired, barely managing to suppress a moan.

"Babcock," he chuckled amused "I've learned years ago that there isn't a good side to you. So why would I waste my time trying to get on it?"

She scoffed but watched his hands work for a moment and then asked: "But, really, what are you doing here? Did you miss the Sheffields?"

There was a silly little part of her that wanted him to admit that he'd been missing _her_ but that was rather unlikely and perhaps only sounded better in her head in anyway.

"My parents really like you…you know? All day long my father keeps on yapping about you. You'd think he was the one in love…"

Niles swallowed and abruptly stopped; the movements of his hands halted as well. Even though they'd both known since their walk around the lake, neither of them had said the words just yet. And apparently neither of them quite knew how to act now that he had blurted it out.

"So uh…" he eventually continued, clearing his throat "they convinced me in the end that it was silly to leave things the way we did. And with my heart I really ought to cut down on work so…"

She lifted her hand to stop him before he could finish. "You're not abandoning your job for me, Niles. You spent close to 40 years in a job that you hadn't chosen for yourself but that you did to take care of your family…yes, your dad told me about Roger," she tossed out when he gave her a quizzical look "but now it's your turn. You've built up an amazing restaurant by the sounds of it…no mean feat in today's climate, might I add. Even you can't be foolish enough to throw that away for a woman."

"But C.C., you're not just any-" he interrupted her but she shook her head.

"It's my turn now," she smiled a little "I've helped Maxwell with everything. If he can't handle business himself by now I'm afraid he's an idiot. I've been thinking about coming to England and looking for new opportunities there…"

Her decision seemed to surprise him and he was at a loss for words for a few moments. But to her this announcement really didn't feel so big. Pondering matters she had simply come to the conclusion that she needed a new challenge, that she didn't belong with the Sheffields anymore and that she was getting too old to make personal sacrifices for the sake of her career.

"So you'd…you'd come to England?" Niles asked, who seemed to have found his voice again.

"Yes, of course not permanently at first. I'll make a few trips to scout out the West End and give us a chance to see if this thing is really worth it…"

She tossed it out there coolly when indeed she was most afraid to find that her and Niles wouldn't be compatible after all. But he knew her well enough to see through her façade.

"That sounds like a marvellous plan," he smiled and scooted closer to take her hands into his and then muttered happily "who would've thought?"

"Apparently not you, you dumbo…" she teased him gently and then gave him a radiant smile that she hoped would silence the butterflies in her stomach.


	10. Epilogue

**A/N: Thanks again for your lovely reviews. Here's the Epilogue. It's nothing special, really, I just wanted to round off the story. I'm glad so many of you liked it! :)**

Epilogue:

Little specks of ice were collecting on the window as the plane slowly descended into London Heathrow. C.C. shifted, experiencing a familiar and dizzying pulling sensation just above her navel that this time she wasn't sure was because of the plane's movement. Instead, she thought, that the new part of her life that she was going to embark on once they had touched down in London was enough to make her feel a little bit queasy.

It had taken a year to figure out her options in London, to find a flat and to ship the contents of her life across the ocean. And it had required quite a lot of discussions between her and Niles as well. She'd known from his proposals, of course, what kind of life he had envisioned with her. And as afraid as she was to not fulfil that perfect image he had of her, she had had to confess in the end, that she was afraid of taking any such big step yet. She knew now that she cared deeply about him and she didn't want to miss him anymore but at the same time she was scared of rushing into the relationship, rushing into living together and consequently ruining things again. She'd need time to adjust and fortunately he had been more than happy to grant her that. A faint smile appeared on her lips and she relaxed somewhat against her seat while the wheels of the plane came in contact with the tarmac.

As the air hostess' voice welcomed them into London and then droned on about the weather and further information, C.C. suddenly felt blissfully excited and free of any other anxieties. For the first time since she had set off she couldn't wait to see him again. But Heathrow was doing its best to hinder her progress. The walk to the border control was long and the terminal was filled with far too many people. 40 minutes passed until finally, she only had to wait for her luggage. Lifting her three suitcases one after the other onto a baggage trolley, she took a moment to collect herself before stepping out into the arrival zone. She fished a mirror out of her purse and freshened up her make-up, then ran a hand through her hair to stop it from being so flat. She knew that he'd tease her in anyway, but she still wanted him to find her appealing. With a click of the tongue she finally decided that this was as good as it was going to get, stowed her things away again and then started pushing the trolley past customs and out into a fresh throng of people, all of which were craning their necks to spot their friend or relative.

It was him who saw her first and before she had the chance to realise what was happening, he had wrapped his arms around her and pulled her against him.

"Hello, Babcock," he smiled and then captured her lips in a gentle but heated kiss.

"You seem excited," she mumbled back, barely able to contain her own smile.

"Well, my favourite sparring partner has returned. How could I not be?"

She slowly freed herself, nudged the trolley towards him and then slipped her hand into his. "Let's see if you'll still be saying that once you've lost the first round."

"You should only get so lucky," he chuckled and together they started walking towards the exit.


End file.
